Striking the Eastern Sea, striking at the heart of the enemy.
Fo Lian could never have imagined that Qin Ye Xuan's first move in his counter-offensive plan would be Dongling Temple.
Dongling Temple was Fo Lian's foundation.
Ever since she took that demonic step from the depths of the ocean, killed the monks of Dongling Temple, and gained control of its followers, she had been tirelessly consolidating her hold on the temple on that isolated island in the East Sea.
Now, Dongling Temple had tens of millions of followers, scattered across the eastern regions of Da Xia and the Korean continent.
If Dongling Temple were to fall, Fo Lian would lose her very base of power.
"Lotus, what are you spacing out for? The fish isn't prepared yet!" Qin Ye Xuan appeared beside her without warning, whispering directly into her ear.
Fo Lian flinched and saw the live fish thrown onto the chopping board, writhing in despair.
Fo Lian suddenly felt like this fish, placed on Qin Ye Xuan's chopping board, constantly at his mercy.
Her emotions were a complex and chaotic mess.
After finishing the dish, Qin Ye Xuan kept her there: "I'll tell you about Chaoge Academy's next teaching plan and the lab's next research direction while I eat. You take notes."
Fo Lian felt helpless but obediently sat down.
Qin Ye Xuan ate his fish and soup, speaking about work matters at a leisurely pace.
Fo Lian forced herself to concentrate and jotted things down on a napkin.
"Let's go back to the office. You'll organize this into a document and submit it to Dean Zhu and Secretary Zhu."
They busied themselves like this until evening.
Fo Lian was extremely anxious.
She had to transmit Qin Ye Xuan's attack plan to Dongling Temple so they could prepare.
But this detestable Qin Ye Xuan kept her by his side, dragging her to the rooftop to observe the evacuation of the commercial district.
This was no longer the first batch of evacuees.
Half of the commercial district was empty, and at least six buildings had disappeared.
The granite and other materials on the ground were also gone.
"Sir, this is the thirteenth batch of evacuees. It seems we can have everyone evacuated before nightfall," Jun Meng Yao said excitedly.
Who would have thought such a daunting evacuation plan could be carried out so perfectly.
Everyone's gaze fell upon the center of the commercial district.
At that moment, the largest mall in the area, "flew" up.
It was a magnificent sight!
The building materials of the mall and the granite from the ground seemed to transform into warm water, gathering and combining.
Finally, it coalesced into a colossal stone turtle, rising into the air.
The people inside began to panic, and various disturbances erupted.
But as Li Tian Xing's constant reassurances and the organization and coordination of the Northern Army units, the people quickly calmed down.
The giant stone turtle flew into the sky, moving towards Lingmeng Mountain.
Where the city's commercial buildings once stood, only an empty lot remained.
Fo Lian's heart trembled, knowing that Qin Ye Xuan had won this time.
Zhu Xiao Tian, that fool, had yet to mount any counter-attack.
She could wait no longer. Gritting her teeth, she closed her eyes and forced the demonic energy within her to surge backward.
Instantly, Fo Lian's face turned deathly pale, her body went weak, and she fainted on the rooftop.
However, her consciousness remained clear.
Everyone gathered around, shocked.
Qin Ye Xuan's lips curved upwards, and he lightly felt her pulse: "She's fine. She's just too tired from being busy today. Take her to my office."
Fo Lian finally had a moment of privacy.
She lay on Qin Ye Xuan's sofa, her eyes closed, contemplating everything.
Now was an excellent opportunity to transmit information.
But she hesitated.
What if Qin Ye Xuan had already discovered her identity and was deliberately using this plan to trap her?
"This man is completely different from the legends, truly wicked and cunning!"
Fo Lian suddenly smiled: "Just like last time, he'll probably tell me a fake plan. If he intends to attack Dongling Temple, I'll inevitably have to withdraw Chaoge's combat power to defend it."
"The most likely scenario is that he suspects my identity but isn't certain, and since I'm Su Xue Qing's benefactor sister, he can't simply deal with me."
Fo Lian bit her lip: "Then it's best if I remain inactive!"
She abandoned the idea of transmitting information and peacefully closed her eyes to rest.
Half an hour later, Fo Lian had clarified the current situation and transmitted a follow-up action plan, hoping that Zhu Xiao Tian, that fool, would be capable enough to handle the next steps.
...
Deep in the night, the three surrounding encampments that had encircled Chaoge Academy began to withdraw in an orderly fashion.
The area around the academy was already a scene of wreckage, roads destroyed, buildings shattered, leaving only piles of construction debris.
However, Chaoge City, which had largely completed its evacuation, began to stir once more.
To the southeast, a pillar of fire shot up into the sky, followed by another in the northwest, then in the northeast, and finally, a strange red mist appeared on a mountain east of the Longmen River.
Jun Meng Yao, on duty, immediately sounded the alarm.
Everyone gathered on the rooftop, frowning as they watched the scene.
"Where's the map? Let's see which areas are in chaos!" Jun Meng Yao was very anxious. Without network access, her intelligence database was useless.
Su Ning Shuang's database was also inaccessible, rendering it useless.
It was then that everyone realized the value of ancient maps.
Qin Ye Xuan waved his hand: "Have Director Chen come up. He knows this city best, after all, he's the head of the city management center."
Director Chen arrived on the rooftop and, after carefully observing each location, gasped: "It's the prison!"
He pointed with shock at the southwest fire: "That's Chaoge First Prison..."
The other locations were also prisons.
Chaoge Police Department's exclusive prison, Chaoge Linghai District Women's Prison...
And the mountain east of the Longmen River was indeed the city's largest burial ground.
Director Chen wiped his sweat: "The city and the suburbs were renovated together back then, and the cemeteries in the surrounding counties were converted to farmland. All the memorial activities were concentrated on this mountain. Considering it, at least a hundred thousand deceased are buried beneath!"
"What on earth is Zhu Xiao Tian doing?"
Qin Ye Xuan had already understood and asked coldly: "How many people are in the prisons?"
Director Chen calculated: "The First Prison alone has six correctional zones, each with at least five hundred inmates, so at least three thousand prisoners in total."
Which meant...
Qin Ye Xuan snorted: "Zhu Xiao Tian is desperate. Most of the city's inhabitants have evacuated. He desperately needs to replenish his manpower, so he's opened all the prisons!"
Now, at least eight thousand hardened criminals had been released.
But even more terrifying were the hundred thousand souls buried beneath the mountain east of the Longmen River!
Qin Ye Xuan pondered, then turned to Anya: "Has Sun Qing Lu emerged from seclusion yet?"
Anya shook her head.
"She should be soon. When I visited not long ago, I could still hear Li Fu Hao's voice."
"That's good..." Qin Ye Xuan said gravely: "Prepare yourselves. The academy will face attacks from zombies and prisoners next. Those demon races will hide behind the scenes, using them as cannon fodder!"
He left the rooftop and contacted Li Tian Xing: "Prepare two fighter jets, fuel them up. I'll need them at any time."
Then, Qin Ye Xuan found Qian Nan Hai, the second dorm mate.
"Old Qian, there's a mission only you can undertake!"
Qian Nan Hai, who slept clutching the magic harpoon he obtained from the treasure cave, immediately asked: "What mission?"
Qin Ye Xuan opened a map: "This is the isolated island in the East Sea. Look here, Dongling Temple. East of the temple, beneath this stretch of sea, there's a coral cave..."
He patted Qian Nan Hai's shoulder: "You're unmatched in swimming, and with this magic harpoon, only you can enter the coral cave. The mission is..."
Qin Ye Xuan whispered his instructions.
Qian Nan Hai soon left the academy and arrived at the Lingmeng Mountain base, where Li Tian Xing's first fighter jet was already ready...